D'Oliveira affair
Encyclopedia
The D'Oliveira affair was an international incident in 1968 surrounding an England cricket tour to South Africa. Basil D'Oliveira
, who had previously emigrated to England from South Africa, was included in the England touring squad, but the ruling apartheid government in South Africa objected to his inclusion because he wasn't white. The tour was subsequently cancelled.
The incident marked the start of South Africa's sporting isolation during the apartheid era.
to the country in 1948, no non-white (defined under the legislation as either "black", "coloured" or "Indian") player was eligible to play Test cricket for South Africa. In fact, overseas teams wishing to tour South Africa were also limited by these rules. These laws led to Basil D'Oliveira
, a 'Cape Coloured
' South African, emigrating to England, where he began to play Test cricket. He was subsequently named as a late replacement as part of the England team to tour South Africa in 1968–69, but South African Prime Minister John Vorster refused to allow D'Oliveira into the country as part of the touring side, declaring: "We are not prepared to receive a team thrust upon us by people whose interests are not in the game but to gain certain political objectives which they do not even attempt to hide. The MCC team is not the team of the MCC but of the anti-apartheid movement." A week later, the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) called off the tour. South Africa's cricket team toured Australia the following winter, but tours of England in 1970 and of Australia in 1971–72 were both cancelled after anti-apartheid protests.
The D'Oliveira affair was widely seen as the defining action which led to South Africa's expulsion from international cricket; the Rand Daily Mail stating "[Mr Vorster's] decision to bar not only Basil D'Oliveira but the MCC team as a whole means, without a shadow of a
doubt, South Africa's exclusion from the world of Test cricket."
Basil D'Oliveira
Basil Lewis D'Oliveira CBE , known affectionately around the world as "Dolly", was a South African-born English cricketer. D'Oliveira was classified as 'coloured' under the apartheid regime, and hence barred from first-class cricket, resulting in his emigration to England...
, who had previously emigrated to England from South Africa, was included in the England touring squad, but the ruling apartheid government in South Africa objected to his inclusion because he wasn't white. The tour was subsequently cancelled.
The incident marked the start of South Africa's sporting isolation during the apartheid era.
Summary
Due to South African apartheid laws, which introduced legal racial segregationRacial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
to the country in 1948, no non-white (defined under the legislation as either "black", "coloured" or "Indian") player was eligible to play Test cricket for South Africa. In fact, overseas teams wishing to tour South Africa were also limited by these rules. These laws led to Basil D'Oliveira
Basil D'Oliveira
Basil Lewis D'Oliveira CBE , known affectionately around the world as "Dolly", was a South African-born English cricketer. D'Oliveira was classified as 'coloured' under the apartheid regime, and hence barred from first-class cricket, resulting in his emigration to England...
, a 'Cape Coloured
Cape Coloureds
The Cape Coloureds form a minority group within South Africa, however they are the predominant population group in the Western Cape. They are generally bilingual, however subsets within the group can be exclusively Afrikaans speakers, whereas others primarily speak English...
' South African, emigrating to England, where he began to play Test cricket. He was subsequently named as a late replacement as part of the England team to tour South Africa in 1968–69, but South African Prime Minister John Vorster refused to allow D'Oliveira into the country as part of the touring side, declaring: "We are not prepared to receive a team thrust upon us by people whose interests are not in the game but to gain certain political objectives which they do not even attempt to hide. The MCC team is not the team of the MCC but of the anti-apartheid movement." A week later, the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
(MCC) called off the tour. South Africa's cricket team toured Australia the following winter, but tours of England in 1970 and of Australia in 1971–72 were both cancelled after anti-apartheid protests.
The D'Oliveira affair was widely seen as the defining action which led to South Africa's expulsion from international cricket; the Rand Daily Mail stating "[Mr Vorster's] decision to bar not only Basil D'Oliveira but the MCC team as a whole means, without a shadow of a
doubt, South Africa's exclusion from the world of Test cricket."